Dr Knox Peden, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, will receive $11,000 for his project 'Secularism and Philosphy: The Challenge of Spinozism'. Knox says the resurgence of religious conflict around the world has acquired renewed importance. His project will analyse the pivotal role played by the controversial philosper Benedict de Spinoza (1632 - 1677) in the history of debates around secularism and the nature of religion in relation to science and politics.